Table 3.
Clinical characteristics of patients stratified into three groups according to tertiles of spleen stiffness
| Item | First tertile SS ≤ 13.8 (n = 38) | Second tertile 13.8 < SS < 18.9 (n = 38) | Third tertile SS ≥ 18.9 (n = 39) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline clinical data | ||||
| Age, years | 73 (66–81) | 69 (56–77) | 76 (67–83) | 0.16 |
| Male, n (%) | 30 (78.9) | 23 (73.6) | 26 (66.6) | 0.47 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 23.2 (20.7–25.3) | 23.3 (21.2–26.4) | 20.0 (18.6–23.7) * , † | 0.005 |
| NYHA III or IV, n (%) | 3 (7.8) | 1 (2.6) | 13 (33.3) * , † | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 12 (31.5) | 15 (39.4) | 20 (51.2) | 0.20 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 26 (68.4) | 23 (60.5) | 27 (69.2) | 0.67 |
| COPD, n (%) | 8 (21.0) | 3 (7.8) | 3 (7.6) | 0.14 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 111 (101–133) | 113 (103–133) | 113 (106–130) | 0.93 |
| MAGGIC risk score | 24 (20–28) | 23 (18–26) | 28 (23–32) * , † | <0.001 |
| Spleen diameter | 86 (79–98) | 86 (81–96) | 85 (74–96) | 0.68 |
| Aetiology | ||||
| IHD, n (%) | 12 (31.5) | 10 (26.3) | 9 (23.0) | 0.69 |
| DCM, n (%) | 4 (10.5) | 9 (23.6) | 6 (15.3) | 0.29 |
| HCM, n (%) | 3 (7.8) | 0 (0) | 3 (7.6) | 0.08 |
| HHD, n (%) | 7 (18.4) | 9 (23.6) | 14 (35.9) | 0.20 |
| VHD, n (%) | 5 (13.1) | 4 (10.5) | 2 (5.1) | 0.44 |
| Others, n (%) | 7 (18.4) | 6 (15.7) | 9 (23.0) | 0.71 |
| Medications | ||||
| ACE‐I or ARB, n (%) | 34 (89.4) | 33 (86.8) | 30 (76.9) | 0.28 |
| Beta‐blocker, n (%) | 31 (81.5) | 36 (94.7) | 33 (84.6) | 0.16 |
| Diuretics, n (%) | 30 (78.9) | 34 (89.4) | 35 (89.7) | 0.31 |
| Dose of loop diuretics (furosemide‐equivalent dose), mg | 20 (10–20) | 20 (17.5–20) | 20 (10–40) * | 0.021 |
| Laboratory data | ||||
| Haemoglobin, g/dL | 12.2 (10.9–13.6) | 12.9 (10.7–14.0) | 11.2 (10.1–12.6) | 0.14 |
| Platelet, ×103/μL | 219 (175–251) | 199 (173–228) | 202 (143–274) | 0.50 |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dL | 0.5 (0.3–0.6) | 0.5 (0.3–0.7) | 0.6 (0.3–0.8) | 0.35 |
| AST, U/L | 23 (19–28) | 22 (17–34) | 30 (20–39) * , † | 0.016 |
| ALT, U/L | 18 (12–26) | 20 (12–37) | 20 (13–34) | 0.44 |
| GGT, U/L | 32 (18–60) | 36 (21–47) | 61 (34–126) * , † | <0.001 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.4 (3.1–3.8) | 3.6 (3.3–4.0) | 3.3 (3.1–3.8) | 0.26 |
| Sodium, mEq/L | 141 (139–142) | 141 (138–143) | 140 (138–141) | 0.20 |
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2 | 51 (35–72) | 53 (36–65) | 37 (23–57) | 0.14 |
| NT pro‐BNP, pg/mL | 1572 (402–2653) | 1535 (748–3645) | 3702 (1399–7399) * , † | 0.002 |
| Fibrosis‐4 index | 1.91 (1.34–2.36) | 1.72 (1.20–2.34) | 2.35 (1.56–4.32) † | <0.001 |
| NFS | −0.15 (−1.08 to 0.46) | −0.50 (−1.68 to 0.66) | 0.20 (−0.94 to 1.45) | 0.19 |
| Echocardiographic data | ||||
| LVDd, mm | 52 (45–59) | 53 (48–61) | 52 (43–58) | 0.22 |
| LVEF, % | 51 (36–63) | 42 (31–56) | 51 (35–62) | 0.15 |
| LAD, mm | 43 (38–50) | 46 (39–52) | 45 (40–50) | 0.79 |
| E, m/s | 71 (50–102) | 91 (52–114) | 86 (65–113) | 0.25 |
| e′ velocity, cm/s | 5.4 (3.7–7.4) | 5.8 (4.8–8.1) | 6.1 (4.2–8.2) | 0.30 |
| E/e′ ratio | 14.5 (11.2–17.9) | 11.6 (8.9–15.8) | 14.3 (10.1–19.6) | 0.39 |
| RVDd, mm | 33 (31–39) | 33 (30–38) | 42 (36–50) * , † | <0.001 |
| Moderate or severe MR, n (%) | 5 (13.1) | 12 (31.5) | 13 (33.3) | 0.068 |
| Moderate or severe TR, n (%) | 1 (2.6) | 6 (15.7) | 16 (41.0) * , † | <0.001 |
| TRPG, mmHg | 16 (5–25) | 14 (5–24) | 22 (15–35) * , † | 0.001 |
| Estimated RAP, mmHg | 3 (3–3) | 3 (3–3) | 8 (3–15) * , † | <0.001 |
ACE‐I, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; E, peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity; e′, peak early diastolic septal mitral annular velocity; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; GGT, γ‐glutamyl transferase; MAGGIC, Meta‐Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure; NFS, non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score.
Values are the median (inter‐quartile range) or number (%). For multiple comparison, the ANOVA test was used for symmetrical continuous variables; the Kruskal–Wallis test for nonsymmetrical continuous variables; and the χ2 test for categorical variables. All‐pair comparisons were performed based on the Tukey–Kramer test for symmetrical continuous variables; the Steel–Dwass test for nonsymmetrical continuous variables; and the χ2 test with Bonferroni correction for categorical variables.
P < 0.05 vs. first tertile.
P < 0.05 vs. second tertile.